De Omnibus Dubitandum Est.

This is a very long chat but very informative and interesting if you can find the time. As always, I love the way Michael Matt articulates the power & beauty of Catholicism, both in context of family life and the positive benefits for the wider society. Personally, I find this profoundly evangelistic; it is what calls me to, and affirms my practice of the faith, and I feel it is a narrative which many, many family men would find equally attractive and compelling, yet it is a perspective we hear so rarely. Frankly, I can't hear enough of it!

In addition, this discussion also covers a lot of information about the importance of the liturgy and the history of the traditionalist movement.

Many of us who were happy to accept Vatican II and the new Mass because it formed one cohesive whole with Church teaching are turning towards a more traditionalist perspective given what has gone on in Rome since the election of Pope Francis. There are lots of references that the work of the coun…

Another outstanding & comprehensive synopsis of the Amazon Synod from Raymond Arroyo, Robert Royal & Fr Gerald Murray at EWTN.
The Pope acknowledged the idols were "Pachamama" The posse asks how can we simply declare there was no idolatrous intent as Pope Francis did? How does that make it alright? Where was the theological dimension? This speaks to so much that goes on in Rome under Pope Francis. There was no definitive answer as to what the Pachamama idols were or where they came from or what their relevance or importance was. Instead, we were left to speculate — and there was a great deal of speculation!

I think, like the vast majority of Catholics, I wanted this to be something the Pope didn't know about, something his poor management had allowed to happen, not something he wanted to happen. I even wrote about it, giving Francis the benefit of the doubt, desperately hoping he is on the side of Christ:
What ensued was carnage really where even the pope seemed…

I'm praying the idolatry synod has crossed a line for our sleepy bishops. There certainly seems to be a few more coming out of the woodwork to stand up to Pope Francis.

The latest is Cardinal Camillo Ruini, who served as Vicar General of Rome for 17 years and was a close collaborator of St. John Paul II, has said he hopes Pope Francis will not allow an exception to priestly celibacy in the Amazon region.

“In the Amazon, and also in other parts of the world, there is a serious shortage of priests, and Christian communities often remain deprived of the Mass,” Ruini, who was Vicar General of Rome from 1991 to 2008, said in a Nov. 3 interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera.

“It is understandable that there is a push to ordain married deacons as priests,” he continued. “It is in this sense most of the synod was in favor of ordaining married deacons to the priesthood.”
“In my opinion, however, this is a wrong choice. And I hope and pray that the pope, in the upcoming post-synod…

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Lifesite have this really sad article about the number of Catholic Dioceses with so-called "LGBT Masses".

Salford, Clifton, Nottingham, Northampton, Middlesborough & Westminster dioceses are all mentioned along with sacrilegious religious artefacts daubed in the all pervading, garish LGBT rainbow and evidence of the explicit support of the bishops of all these dioceses. Of course, there is the same activity in my own diocese of Brentwood as well, where at least one priest is actively pushing the direct opposite of Church teaching and we have had a "gay Mass" in the Cathedral, although the Lifesite article doesn't mention this.

To be honest I am not surprised at the news, especially as the leader of the Catholic Church in England & Wales, Vincent Cardinal Nichols, has so openly advocated for homosexuality over many years. He even openly supported a gay group banned by Cardinal Hume for opposing Catholic teaching.

Of course, the justification for these th…

From Patrick Coffin:

As the Irish used to put it, “it’s the Mass that matters.” The holy sacrifice of the Mass is the “source and summit of the Christian life” according to Vatican II. In the short years following the Council, the reformation of the Mass, replacing the pre-1962 Missal with the Mass of Paul VI (aka the Novus Ordo Missae), has unfortunately led to what amounts to a two-track Church.

The 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum by Pope Benedict XVI lifted the need for episcopal permission to celebrate the Extraordinary Form (the Traditional Latin Mass) so any priest could celebrate it. This in turn led to a resurgent interest in the Mass that nurtured saints and sinners alike for over 500 years.

Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, OR, taught himself how to say the Latin Mass, and has nuggets of wisdom as to why the Church benefits from its celebration and the sense of balance needed to avoid extremist attitudes. He’s also an expert in sacred music, which is a much-overl…